Rooney eyeing England record but was this Three Lions’ striker better?

| Thursday, October 9, 2014

  

England prepare for their latest Euro 2016 qualifier against San Marino on Thursday night, but for captain Wayne Rooney, it marks a chance to take a massive step closer to becoming the Three Lions’ all-time goal-scorer.

The Man United star is just eight goals behind England legend Sir Bobby Charlton and while he insisted to talkSPORT that he is not actively chasing down the record, he admitted that the lure of it is enticing.

“Obviously it’s there, there’s no denying that, and if I can get it sooner rather than later, then great!”, he commented.

While Charlton’s record has stood untouched since he last pulled on an England shirt in 1970, it is another striker that is in his immediate cross-hairs – Jimmy Greaves.

Arguably one of the most under-rated strikers England has ever produced, the former Tottenham and Chelsea hitman is considered to be the Three Lions’ most prolific goal-scorer ever, with Greaves having marked his 57 international appearances with a mightily impressive 44 goals.

That got us wondering how the other players to feature among England’s top five scorers list would have measured up had their international careers only lasted 57 appearances – and the results are very interesting.

While Jimmy Greaves scored 44 goals in 57 games for England…

Michael Owen mustered just 25 goals after 57 appearances.

Equally, Wayne Rooney notched just 25 goals after 57 appearances.

Gary Lineker reached an impressive 35 goals after 57 appearances.

Bobby Charlton surprisingly only hit 33 goals in 57 appearances.

Read more at http://talksport.com/football/rooney-eyeing-england-record-was-three-lions-striker-better-141009118037#gzDvQ7rMcyKAboV4.99